Two Open Risk Assessment Positions at the EPA

The National Center for Environmental Assessment has two permanent full-time Risk Assessment positions open in their Washington DC/Virginia offices. The key information about the positions can be found at this link. The application period ends on Jan. 13, 2011.

Birth of Dexter Edwin Verslues

On on Dec. 8, 2010, ETOX alumnae Wendy Hwang-Verslues and her husband Paul Verslues became the proud parents of a baby boy. Our congratulations to Wendy and Paul for this new addition to their family. Below are pictures of Dexter Edwin Verslues and his parents.

Program Receives NIEHS Training Grant

The Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program at UCR was recently selected for an NIEHS T32 training grant to support the education and training of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Posted below is the description published in InsideUCR. Our thanks to ETOX Director Yinsheng Wang who was the force behind the application and will be overseeing the award.

Program Gets $1 Million Grant
The Environmental Toxicology Program has received a prestigious “institutional training grant” of nearly $1.1 million from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Yinsheng Wang, a professor of chemistry, is the principal investigator of the five-year grant; David Eastmond, the chair of the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, is the grant’s co-principal investigator.

The grant will enable the training of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers working in the area of environmental toxicology.

“The training grant will provide additional support to the environmental toxicology and related graduate programs,” Wang said. “This will also enhance the visibility and reputation of our graduate program.”

Photos from ETOX Social

On October 15, Yinsheng Wang and his wife hosted an ETOX social at their home. There was a great turnout and everyone seemed to have an enjoyable time. Below are a selection of photos from the event.

UCR Hosts Symposium on Tobacco-related Disease Research

On Friday, Oct. 29, UCR hosted a mini-symposium to highlight recent tobacco-related disease research. The symposium was organized by Drs. Yinsheng Wang, Prue Talbot of UCR and Kamlesh Asotra of the Tobacco-related Disease Research Program. I was not able to attend but but I understand that it was very successful. Below are pictures of a number of ETOX faculty and students in attendance.

Dr. Yinsheng Wang, director of the ETOX program, introducing one of the speakers.

Dr. Nicole zur Nieden presenting her research on the effects of tobacco smoke on stem cells.

Monique Williams, a first year graduate student working in Dr. Prue Talbot's lab.

A photo of the symposium participants.

ETOX Well Represented at SCCSOT Meeting

On Friday October 8 the Southern California Chapter of the Society of Toxicology held its annual meeting on the UCLA campus. The UCR Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program was well represented with seven current students, one faculty member and one alumna in attendance. The theme of the meeting was "Advancing the Science of Carcinogenicity Risk Assessement" and Dr. David Eastmond gave one of the presentations. His talk was entitled, "Perspectives on Contemporary Issues Involving Genotoxicity Testing and Regulatory Decision-making". A special congratulation goes to Ashley Swanson whose poster was selected for the first place award in the student poster competition. Shown in the photo from the left are Pavan Gollapudi (in back), Minh Vuong, Kristi Capsel, Si Bui, and Ashley Swanson. In attendance but not photographed were Anna Martin, Neeti Riar, Dr. Sharada Balakrishnan (alumna) and Dr. David Eastmond (faculty).

ETOX Program Ranks High in the Recent NRC Graduate Program Evaluation

UCR's Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program did quite well in the ranking of U.S. graduate programs that was recently published by the National Research Council. In the evaluation, twenty parameters were considered based largely on the 2005-06 academic year and the preceding 5 year period. The results are presented as ranges and the following summaries are based on the S-ranking data compiled by the UCR Graduate Division. Among the programs in the area of pharmacology, toxicology and environmental health, the ETOX Program ranked 29th of 115 which falls in upper 25%. Among the 27 programs with an emphasis in toxicology (based on the program name), our program ranked 5th. This is a nice recognition of the efforts of the students, faculty and administration who have contributed to the program over the years. Direct comparisons of specific programs can be made by using the Chronicle of Higher Education's interactive tool that can be found here.

Senior Ecotoxicologist Position at FMC

Below is an email that was recently received by one of our students.

I am seeking a solid ecotoxicologist, preferably with avian or terrestrial expertise, to help develop and defend agricultural products. The position is located at FMC Corporation’s R&D Center situated in Ewing, NJ. This individual will design, manage, and participate in scientific work under FIFRA and GLPS and have an opportunity to publish and present with CRO’s at major conferences. One’s efforts will be fairly evenly invested between two key areas:

• Overseeing new studies conducted by contract labs across all aspects of ecotoxicology to ensure high quality science, and
• Providing information for regulatory agencies, customers and FMC personnel, including white papers, product defenses, reports and more.

FMC is one of the worlds’ foremost, diversified chemical companies with leading positions in agricultural, industrial and consumer markets. Not only are we on a strong growth trajectory with double-digit growth, but our philosophy is one of constant evolution.

I invite you to read an insightful description of the opportunity. It includes information like:

What makes this a great opportunity for the right person?
The nuts and bolts of the of the job
Keys to success
More information about FMC Corporation

Please let me know if someone whom you believe may have the required experience would like to be considered for this career opportunity. For your convenience, I pasted the link to the job description at the bottom of this message. There is a link to apply if someone is interested. I encourage them to reach out to me should they have any questions.

Kind regards,

Kate Davis
Sourcing Partner
FMC Corporation
562-472-0707
kdavis@dtoolbox.com

Link to the job description.

Postdoctoral position in pharmacokinetics at LLNL

Dr. Ken Turteltaub recently contacted me to let me know about the postdoctoral position summarized below.

The Postdoctoral Pharmacology Researcher will study how pharmacokinetics and ADME properties are affected by the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles using techniques including accelerator mass spectrometry. As a Postdoc under the Battelle Center for Fundamental and Applied Systems Toxicology (B-FAST) you will be involved in collaborative research with scientists from Battelle and several of the National Laboratories we manage/co-manage, and potentially with other members of the public and private sectors. We envision our collaboration to result in the development of the science and tools that will transform the way safety science and toxicology testing are practiced today.

THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION:
• Recent PhD in a relevant scientific field i.e., pharmacology, toxicology, biochemistry, chemistry • Demonstrated hands-on experience with various animal models with demonstrated ability to innovate research models
• Prior experience conducting protocol driven research in biologic matrices • Experience working effectively in an interactive, matrixed environment, working with toxicologists, physiologists and chemists toward a common endpoint
• Proven ability to assimilate information quickly and apply knowledge to a broad array of novel situations

To apply for this position, please visit our corporate website www.battelle.org/careers, create a personal profile, upload a CV and apply to requisition number 18273.

For more information, please contact:

Kenneth W. Turteltaub, Ph.D
Chief Biomedical Scientist
Physical and Life Sciences Directorate; L-452
Program Leader - Biomedical Accelerator Mass Spectrometry
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
7000 East Avenue
Livermore, CA 94550
turteltaub2@llnl.gov
Ph: 925.423.8152
Fax: 925.422.2282

Ecotoxicologist positions at BASF

ETOX alumna Dr. Melinda Bigelow Dyk contacted me to let me know of two exotoxicologist positions that are available at BASF at their Research Triangle Park, NC facility. Brief summaries of the two positions are below.

Senior Ecotoxicologist
BASF Agricultural Solutions is seeking a motivated and enthusiastic Senior Ecotoxicologist. The candidate will provide ecotoxicology expertise for the maintenance and development of agricultural chemical products. Duties will include the determination of ecotoxicology data requirements, the monitoring of contracted studies and the evaluation of product safety based on study results. The emphasis is on support for North American registrations, however, the individual will also have worldwide support responsibilities for specific products.

Education/Qualifications:
Minimum Required: MS Degree in Environmental Science, Wildlife Toxicology, Toxicology or related field with a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience with ecotoxicology testing and ecological risk assessments -OR- PhD Degree in Environmental Science, Wildlife Toxicology, Toxicology or related field with a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience with ecotoxicology testing and ecological risk assessments.
Desired: Ph.D. Degree in Environmental Science, Wildlife Toxicology, Toxicology or related field with a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience with ecotoxicology testing and ecological risk assessments for agricultural products.

Ecotoxicologist
BASF Agricultural Solutions is seeking a motivated and enthusiastic Ecotoxicologist. The candidate will provide ecotoxicology expertise for the maintenance and development of agricultural chemical products. Duties will include the determination of ecotoxicology data requirements, the monitoring of contracted studies and the evaluation of product safety based on study results. The emphasis is on support for North American registrations, however, the individual will also have worldwide support responsibilities for specific products.

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE:
Minimum Required: MS Degree in Environmental Science, Wildlife Toxicology or related field with a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience with ecotoxicology testing and ecological risk assessments -OR- BS Degree in Environmental Science, Wildlife Toxicology or related field with a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience with ecotoxicology testing and ecological risk assessments.
Desired: Ph.D Degree in Environmental Science, Wildlife Toxicology or related field with 0-4 years of relevant experience with ecotoxicology testing and ecological risk assessments for agricultural products.

For more information, please contact Melinda at melindauncw@hotmail.com.

ETOX members at Nationals game

On July 27, members of the National Center for Environmental Assessment at the EPA went to watch the Washington Nationals play the Atlanta Braves. Several program members were in attendance. Below are pictures from the event.

Si Bui who is interning at the EPA this summer.

ETOX alumna Catherine Gibbons who works in the IRIS program.

David Eastmond who was visiting the EPA in a photo shoot with George W., a local dignitary.

Mei-Shan Huang Wedding Photos

Mei-Shan Huang (M.S., 2005) recently married Chris Green (formerly of Riverside, CA) on July 5th in Taipei, Taiwan. Chris is an English professor at a private university in Busan, South Korea and Chris and Mei-Shan will be living there for the next few years. Below are a couple of photos from their wedding. More photos can be seen on-line. We are very happy for Mei-Shan and wish her the best in her new marriage.

Annual Student Symposium

On Wednesday June 16, the Environmental Toxicology Program held its annual student symposium. There were 18 student presentations and it was great to see the breadth of research in which the students are involved. At the end of the day, a number of students and faculty were recognized. The Fukuto award for the top student presentation was given to J.P. Baquiran for his presentation entitled, "The La Brea Tar Pits Metagenome". Honorable mention awards were presented to Katy Zimmermann and Kristy Richardson. The best first year student presentation was awarded to Ashley Swanson. Kristy Richardson was chosen for the student choice award and the Faculty Mentor award for this year went to the Program Director, Yinsheng Wang. The day was a great success. I would like to give a special thanks to Paul Ziemann, Zhenshan Chen, Lynnie Cua, Juliane Finn, Lei Ren, Ashley Swanson and Dawn Huffmann Loyola who as members of the Student Symposium Committee organized the symposium. In addition, I would like to recognize the work of Janet Arey who contacted the alumni and compiled the alumni news that was in the program booklet. Below are a number of photos from the event.

The award winners, Yinsheng Wang, Katy Zimmermann, Ashley Swanson, Kristy Richardson and J.P. Baquiran.

Kristy Richardson receiving the Student Choice award from Kristi Capsel and Gayatri Sankaran.

Yinsheng Wang receiving the faculty mentor award.

Gayatri Sankaran giving her presentation.

The buffet line and various group shots below.

News from Alumna Heidi Bethel

Heidi Bethel (Ph.D. 2002) sent in the following update and photos for the annual student symposium. Sorry, I am slow getting them posted.

This has been a great year! We purchased our first home in Springfield, Virginia in July of 2009. And, we had a baby boy, Jason Singh Chillar, born in February, 2010. We spent most of the year trying to get our house ready for the baby and we still continue to work on renovation projects and decorating. We are really happy that we were able to move into a house for Jason and we look forward to seeing him run around our 1/3 acre lot. Kris is having a lot of fun working on the yard!

I am still working at EPA in the Office of Water on ambient water quality standards and I will be returning back to work in late summer.

Good luck to everyone on the seminar day presentations and congratulations to those graduating.

Photo from Alumnus Eric Kwok

Ryan (age 5) and Amanda (age 7). "Little ones" of Eric Kwok (Ph.D., 1993)

Photo from Alumna Karen Riveles

Karen Riveles (Ph.D. 2004) and her husband Trevor in a "Then and Now: Kids at Heart". They were married Feb. 6, 2010.

Photo from Alumnus Huiming Gong

Ziyou Gong, son of alumnus Huiming Gong (M.S. 2003).

Photo from Alumna Patricia Phousongphoung Rowley

Patricia Phousongphoung Rowley (Ph.D., 2002) with her husband Jon and her two sons Oden and Shai.

Photo from Alumna Kelly Thrippleton-Hunter

Kelly Thrippleton-Hunter (Ph.D., 2009) and her husband Kenny Hunter in Zion National Park.

News from alumna Wendy Hwang-Verslues

Janet Arey has been contacting the ETOX alumni for news for the annual student symposium booklet. For those who included a photo with their news, I will be posting them on the blog. Below is a photo of Wendy Hwang-Verslues (Ph.D. 2007) and her husband Paul Verslues that was taken at the 5th wedding anniversary.

Pesticide Handbook of Toxicology Edited by Bob Krieger

The 3rd edition of Hayes' Handbook of Pesticide Toxicology has just been published. It was a major achievement with two volumes, 107 chapters and over 2000 pages. We extend our congratulations to Bob Krieger who was the chief editor and spearheaded the effort seeing it through to completion. Above is a picture of Bob holding volume 1 (taken by Iqbal Pittalwala of UCR).

Seminar by ETOX Alumna Fabienne Reisen

On Wednesday March 31, one of our ETOX alumnae Fabienne Reisen (Ph.D. 2003) was on campus to speak in the ETOX seminar series. Fabienne is currently working as a scientist in the Air Toxics program studying wildfires at CSIRO in Melbourne, Australia. Her presentation was entitled "The Impact of Bushfire Smoke at the Personal, Local, Regional and Global Levels". It was great to see Fabienne again and hear about the interesting work that she is doing. Above is a photo taken immediately after her seminar.

Positions at EPA

The IRIS program of the EPA in Arlington, VA (very close to Washington, DC) is looking to hire several full-time individuals with knowledge and experience in one or more of the following scientific areas: cancer mode of action, neurotoxic effects, reproductive effects, immunotoxicological effects, developmental effects, genetic toxicology, liver or kidney toxicity. They will be working with teams of scientists on a variety of risk assessment-related projects.

To Apply Please Visit:
http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/

Apply for Job #
Health Scientist: RTP-DE-2010-0160 or RTP-MP-2010-0354
Biologist/Toxicologist: RTP-DE-2010-0201 or RTP-MP-2010-
0349

Announcements designated DE are open to any U.S. citizen.

Good luck.

ETOX Gathering at SOT in Salt Lake City

The annual Society of Toxicology meeting was held in Salt Lake City this year. There were a good number of former ETOX students, faculty and one current student attending. On Monday March 8, a group of us got together for dinner at Himalayan restaurant serving Nepalese and Indian food. Below is a photo from the dinner as well as a couple of others that I took. In addition to those listed below, Drew Olaharski, James Keenan, Chris Frantz, and Bob Krieger also attended the meeting.

Xiaofei Zhang, Catherine Gibbons, David Eastmond, Jennifer Sasaki, Si Bui, and Ryan Williams at the Himalayan restaurant.

Xiaoqin Ye, an assistant professor at the University of Georgia with one of her graduate students

Salt Lake City is my home town so I have to include a picture of Mt. Olympus, one of my favorite mountains in the area.

ETOX alumni, students and faculty to meet at SOT

For those of you interested in getting together at the SOT meeting in Salt Lake City, we are planning on going out to dinner on Monday night. If interested in joining the group, please send an email (david.eastmond@ucr.edu) with your contact info. I look forward to seeing you there.

Hayes Seminar on Atrazine

On Feb. 10, Tyrone Hayes, a professor of integrative biology at UC Berkeley, gave a talk
in the ETOX seminar series on the dangers of the herbicide (weed-killer) atrazine, a common chemical contaminant of ground and surface water in the United States. Below are a couple of pictures of his presentation taken by Iqbal Pittawalla.

ETOX GSA goes bowling

On Friday Feb. 5, the ETOX and Earth Sciences graduate student student associations organized a bowling night at the Brunswick Bowling Alley in Moreno Valley. It looks like they had a good time. Below are pictures of the event that Gayatri Sankaran, one of the ETOX GSA representatives, sent to me.

Kristi Capsel and Gayatri Sankaran, the ETOX GSA representatives.

Katy Zimmerman, Laurel Dodgen, Zhenshan, Lynnie, Jian Lin, and friend

Zhenshan Chen and Gayatri Sankaran

Si Bui

Si and friend, Zhenshan and Jiang

Lynnie Cua, Kristy Richardson and friends